Many positions take a “trial by fire” attitude when it comes to new employees, figuring the best way for people to learn is by doing. But this is certainly not always the case. Training and “onboarding” new employees is crucial to make sure that they start out as prepared as possible to do a good job.

That is not to say there won’t be a learning curve. You can’t expect new employees to do everything perfectly on day one. But you need to give them all the tools necessary so that they can be on the right track.

Training and onboarding is especially important for your team at your multifamily community, especially since these employees often have to interact with residents or prospective residents. You wouldn’t want residents to get frustrated when they ask about community procedures, such as where rent checks should be dropped off or whether they have to break down big boxes in the garbage room or if Slip and Slides are permitted in the hallways, only to get a blank stare in return. That could annoy renters, or even cause them not to rent from you. Even if an employee comes from the industry, procedures vary from community to community. Maybe at Apartments XYZ where they previously worked, they were allowed to wear jeans on Fridays, but at your community employees are only allowed jeans on Tuesdays.

Here are some suggestions for successfully onboarding new multifamily employees.

Create a training manual. Make a physical or online book with all the information your new employee needs. This should not just include important company policies, such as policies for vacation days, insurance information, etc., but also policies for the individual community. This way the employee can use it as a reference guide down the road.